Thursday, October 25, 2007

All I Want is a Caucus for Christmas

Hey, here's a nice combo: talking beltway turkey with your turkey and dressing -- and not just with your family but with a perfect stranger wearing a red, white and blue cap and way too many big buttons. Yes, the candidates are coming for Christmas! Might as well get ready for the 2012 caucuses; they're coming as soon as the pumpkins get smashed. I'm thinking we could get going on the 2016 primaries by Easter.

What's with all this leapfrogging of caucuses and primaries? Why are the parties allowing this? If they've got a say, why not go in the opposite direction and just say the primary season starts March first or the first day of spring -- or the first day of MAY. Seems civilized (and would save millions in the cost of campaigns; imagine campaigning for only 11 months or so instead of two-plus years).

As I've said here before, many pundits -- professional pundits and newscasters, too -- are making the mistake of calling this an election year. This is 2007; it is not an election year. 2008 is an election year, and is still over 2 months away.

Leap years are presidential election years, and it seems we are certainly leaping ahead. Can you imagine making a stump speech that many times? Ask Britney Spears about the downside of overexposure. But then no wonder millions crave seeing another Britney news bit: she's no renaissance woman, but she's going through more changes than the candidates are. We only need to see the candidates for a few months before the conventions.

And how about having canvassers waiting in your driveway when you're getting home from mass Christmas Eve? Or calling repeatedly on the phone (auto-dialers, even!) while you are opening the presents Christmas morning?

Is this what Jesus had in mind when he made this a Christian nation?

Hey, it's October 25th, two months 'til the big D Day, but I'd rather see politics pushed back to May Day. The days of winter are dark enough as they are.

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About Me

"A Better Nation" is home to Lawrence's political punditry, cultural commentary, and personal essays.
Lawrence holds a master's degree in American Civilization (interdisciplinary cultural history) from the University of Texas at Austin, has served as a research assistant for history texts and a PBS television series, and has directed scores of adventure travel tours across the U.S. All content Copyright Lawrence Walker, 2004-2009.